Searching for Rares In The Rain!

With east winds and heavy rain all night and throughout today, there was no messing about this morning – needed to get out there, in anticipation that I would find a mega or someone else would! After packing the car up in the pouring rain, I decided to stay local and head for Holme reserves – I had not been here since we sold the house.

On route I stopped off at Hunstanton cliff top, where I stopped briefly to count 10 Pied Wagtails on the bowling green. A quick scan of the cliff top hedges next to the lighthouse produced a Blackbird, Song Thrushes x 2 and a Redwing – I'm sure there was more, but didn't check it out thoroughly. Nothing in the lighthouse walled garden, when I peered over the wall.

I shouldn't have done, but I did...... I stopped the car on the main road at the end of Aslack Way in Holme and peered down the road at what was our home – there was nothing beyond the end of next door's hedge, nothing, none of the huge shrubs in pots, none of the established plants in the front garden, no fence, no nothing, I felt almost sick. I moved on quickly and later found out from Sophie, that 'they' are working on the property and there is a digger in the garden – she kindly advised me not to go back, she was of course correct. I felt sad and gloomy for the rest of the day, big mistake. I won't ever return. That's it.

Along the Firs Road to the reserves at Holme, there were big numbers of thrushes scattering from the bushes, mainly Song Thrushes and Redwings and smaller numbers of Blackbirds. There were Mallards, Magpies and 2 Redshanks in the flooded paddocks along route. I parked the car next to the only large sycamore on the reserves, in the NWT car park and spent ages waiting and watching for a Yellow-browed Warbler to appear – no sign. Re-parked the car on the NOA car park and walked straight across to the dunes, checking all the scrub on route and then headed east along the path behind the back of the pines and the large yew tree, which my father planted many, many years ago. I spent a long time here. How things have changed – I didn't see another birder anywhere. Apart from Sophie and Dawn, Pete and Bethany Balmer later on, there wasn't a single birder to be seen! It was evident there had been a big arrival of thrushes today and there were more in the pines and also a few Robins I noted. On the higher path near the sea-watching hide, I heard a Yellow-browed Warbler, but didn't see it. A few Hedge Sparrows, and Wrens were seen.

At Holme Bird Observatory I had a catch up with Sophie and she gave me my NOA Annual Report, which looks particularly nice this year and well laid out – it has a fabulous picture of Firecrest on the front cover, taken by Walsey Hills Warden David Bratt. From the obs, I saw Coal Tit, Blue Tits, Long-tailed Tits including a very white headed one (which Sophie was aware of) a Great White Egret was seen over Holme marsh and three Swallows flew over. The Broadwater was jam packed with ducks! Lots of Mallards, Teal, Little Grebes, never seen so many!

I had a lovely cheese jacket potato lunch at the NWT cafe. What a joy to have a choice of tables with almost no cars in the car park! Left and parked up by the 5-bar gate and walked to the NWT Forestry – again, nobody here! Had the place to myself and the rain had more or less stopped! Watched a Sparrowhawk chasing a Song Thrush, but thankfully didn't see the results of that, after they both disappeared from view behind distant scrub. I saw my fourth Swallow of the day, a single Goldfinch and a Goldcrest and more thrushes, other than that there were no megas in here!

I counted 83 Curlew on Holme Marsh by the 5-bar gate, as I walked back to my car. Stopped to look from the hide at NOA Redwell Marsh, but nothing other than Black-headed Gulls, 2 Redshank and Mallards.

Sat in the car in the car parks at Titchwell RSPB – pouring with rain again and watched the brambles and scrub for something magical to appear, not a single bird seen apart from an overweight and waddling Wood Pigeon. Parked up in Titchwell village and walked Gypsy Lane and skulked about in the wood at the end for a OBP or something equally as exciting, nothing seen at all.

Headed home via Choseley Barns. Big numbers of Red-legged Partridges all along the roads and in the fields and also 2 Grey Partridges. Hedge Sparrows seen and a big Starling flock, but nothing else of note. I expected Monday will be an incredible day whilst I'm at work, good luck to those that are able to go birding tomorrow!